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Senjo
Category:Faeri =Overview= The Senjo are a warrior culture in the purest sense -- though in their feudal caste system the nobles and emperors are at the top, it is the bushi -- warrior -- class that holds the true power. In fact, the country of Senjokuni has been broken up into a nation of warring clans for the past century, each led by a daimyo --warlord -- trying to claim the anointed title of shogun, or military dictator of Senjokuni; though Senjokuni has an emperor, unlike the other Senjo countries, he serves only as a figurehead. The Senjo are neutral to all outsiders, and though they will be polite to visitors of any kind, many find the ways of foreigners strange, and Senjokuni has gone as far as to limit the amount of outsiders (non-Senjo) it permits into its borders. The Senjo, due to their healthy diets and cultural importance of bathing, actually are capable live longer than the other Faeri -- some reach to see 300, though most die around 275, if, in Senjokuni's case, they aren't killed first by the savage wars that plague the nation. Senjo as a whole are polite and stay within the strict class system set in their culture. From highest to lowest, the class system works as so: The Emperor/Empress, Nobles, Bushi (warriors), Peasants, Merchants, and Eta (untouchables). In most Senjo nations, it is impossible to move up the ladder in power, though due to the chaos in Senjokuni, it has been known for peasants to reach the rank of bushi, or for bushi to fall to the status of peasant. The Senjo are a strict patriarch, and women have little rights, though all bushi, even women, are trained to defend themselves. Honor is important to all Senjo, and to mock a Senjo's honor in any way is an unforgivable insult. Slavery still exists in Senjo nations, though it has dwindled in size in the past centuries. This has led to a high Human and Half-Senjo population, and while in the past the two races were treated as outsiders, they are now fully integrated into Senjo society and are considered "true" Senjo themselves. Shortest of all the Faeri, Senjo rarely reach past 5'3" in height, and consider outsiders to be of "awkward size." They are often swifter than other Faeri, possibly due to their focus on swordsmanship with a katana -- a sword with a curved blade. Their skin ranges from a medium to a pale tone, always tinged with yellow. Their hair is always black or dark brown, and their eyes are often black, brown, or light brown. =Animals= More information on this section coming soon. =Art= More information on this section coming soon. =Bushi= More information on this section coming soon. =Children/Families= More information on this section coming soon. =Clothing= More information on this section coming soon. =Common Classes= More information on this section coming soon. =Education= More information on this section coming soon. =Festivals= More information on this section coming soon. =Food= More information on this section coming soon. Vegetables More information on this section coming soon. Fruits More information on this section coming soon. Grains More information on this section coming soon. Dairy More information on this section coming soon. Meat and Fish More information on this section coming soon. =Housing= The vast majority of Senjose buildings in eastern Aust are made primarily out of wood and paper. In larger structures such as castles, stone is also used, and straw is used for thatching roofs of peasants and other commoners, while clay tiles are more common in roofs of more important houses and buildings. In the central and western Senjo nation, wood is still a primary building material, but paper is rarely seen and bricks are more common instead. Sliding doors -- both solid wood and paper/wood blends are the norm. Some western Senjose areas have a Druden influence with swinging doors on hinges, but sliding screens remain the primary door mechanism. Simple geometric designs are emphasized, and the tiled roofs of castles, temples and manors tend to sweep upwards in dramatic curves. Space is uncluttered and efficient, with materials and furniture not in use being store neatly away. Peasant, lower merchants and poor bushi housing Simple Senjose homes tend to be small in size, usually with a single large room (sometimes as much as three rooms, but rarely more) on a raised platform. This area serves as the bedrooms, dining room, and kitchen all in one. A hole is often cut in the center of this raised platform for use as a cooking pit. The earthen entryway is used to leave sandals and tools, while items are often stored below floorboards. Commoner Senjose houses are often made entirely of wood, with thatched roofs. Windows are often cut-out holes with a thick wood shutter attached at the top and kept open by propping a stick of wood against the sill and the shutter at an angle. Higher merchants, richer bushi/daimyo and noble housing Those who don't spend their lives farming and can afford better living often have homes made of both wood and paper. The house is still raised and footwear is still left at the earthen flooring in the entryway, but tools are often stored in closets. These larger homes can afford to have a separate kitchen and other living areas, but the basic principle behind the cooking area remains the same. Floors in rooms are covered in bamboo straw mats -- tatami. These mats are often used to measure the size of rooms, and are relatively cheap and easy to make. Larger manors often have an outside garden with Butsudou gravel arrangements meant to symbolize waves or mountains, and a common plant in such areas is the cherry blossom. Larger houses also tend to have their own tea ceremony room, private bathhouses, and sometimes even a hotspring bath. Shrines Those of the Seirei school of Butsudou focus more on the individual spirits in nature and paying them respect, rather than worrying about reincarnation and enlightenment. Followers of this sect build shrines that are raised off the ground on piers, and are noted for their large, often red-painted torii gates made of wood or stone that define the entryway. Torii are characterized by their upright supports with two crossbars on top, the upper one considerably thicker and with a notable swooping upwards slant. Statues of animal guardians often appear on each side of the torii to protect the entryway of the gods into the holy site. The shrines themselves are made with untreated wood that is rebuilt when necessary. Shrines are often located near sacred sites, the specific site of worship often marked with special rope and paper tassels. Temples Butsudou practitioners that are of the tensei sect, or those that focus on enlightenment and reincarnation, often have very different architecture than those of the seirei sect. Tensei temples, though often single-storied, tend to have double roofs with swooping tiles arching dramatically up into the sky. Most temples have exposed timber beams and complex brackets -- the Senjose don't use nails. Temple complexes often contain a hall specifically for a statue or other image of the Butsuda, or the first Senjo to become enlightened and leave the cycle of reincarnation and live forever in Nehan. Temples often also include a lecture hall and a pagoda, and newer temples even have additional halls, sutra (holy texts) archives and a refectory. Some temples even have sculptures of guardian deities near the central gate.